The Tokyo Zodiac Murders (Pushkin Vertigo)

It was recommended as an example of a "locked room" mystery which it is. The ambiance is semi exotic and the characters quicky yet credible. The pace is pretty slow and deliberate so if you're looking for action look elsewhere. Overall enjoyable.

This book is the inaugural one for one of the Japanese orthodox masters, Soji Shimada, which presents a fair-play mystery that the reader can solve. The solution of whom is relatively straightforward if you are paying attention, though I quibble with the author about the when the how was supposed to be known, because there are actually good competing explanations of the order until something after a trip settles it. For those who really enjoy good puzzles, this is a great locked-room mystery. The translation is quite solid, and the narrative has been rewritten to take into account some of the quirks of the Japanese language but also the customs and explanation of social etiquette (which the translator took great pains to emphasize how transgressive the behavior of the detective is in Japanese society although this would be considered very normal for the West).Like most first in a series books, there are some extreme strengths with one absolutely glaring weakness. The puzzle construction and the solution are ingenious, and they are not gimmicky once explained (there is no miracles and it is possible to work out the solution upon concentrated reading). The two issues with this book that I have which detract from the score even given the first try are the pacing of the plot (which the first section can actually get someone to quit the book before it actually starts, and this is a bug not a feature) and the eventual detective is not well-developed to the point that it fails the fair play test of detective motivation (the reader should be able to sympathize with the motives of why the detective solves the crime if not empathize with the detective's motives). There is no particular reason why this detective actually solves the case, and in terms of later narrative, the detective self-contradicts himself about the reasons that he undertakes the matter.Mild spoilers follow:For an orthodox mystery, I appreciate the fair play, but I actually do not care for the unconventional telling of the story. The order of the story is not temporal, and honestly, there's a better story in this book if it were rearranged in chronological order ending in failure before success. Shimada focuses too much on the construction of the puzzle to the detriment of the narrative, and there are two sections where this is extremely apparent. Act I - Scene 1 is gratuitous, and I can see readers abandoning the book right then and there as without the context of the plot, nothing is worth paying attention to and it is irrelevant to the events.The best locked room mysteries are worth a reread, and this one certainly fits the bill. However, try rereading it in this order:Act I - A Police Confession, then Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 5Act II - Scene 1 and 2Act I - Scene 1Act II - Entractethen the rest in book presentation order. I really think the material is excellent but not necessarily edited by the original publisher in a compelling presentable order. I really wish that the narrative followed the failed detective before the present day.

The first half of this book (at least, in the English translation) is truly terrible. It starts off with what is believed to be a letter from a madman that goes on far too long and rambles about absolute nonsense regarding astrological symbols, etc. It should’ve been shortened considerably. Then, the rest of the first half is a single conversation between two people about the Zodiac murders, where one person explains the story to another. The story and the mystery are interesting, but the actual writing/pacing/structure are abominable.Then things pick up in the second half. It becomes quite good, though perhaps not good enough to make up for the first half. I’m not completely enamored with the mystery’s resolution, and the author tries to taunt the reader regarding the mystery in a pretty lame way, but it’s still a good, solid read past the halfway mark. I’d compare the second half to The Pale Horse — a bit ridiculous, not top-tier Christie, but still a good read.It’s hard to recommend this book, but also hard to tell you to stay away from it. I’m certainly interested in reading more from this author, hoping that the structural problems here are fixed in his other novels. Just be prepared for a slog through the first half.

Really liked the book and will try to findAnother one like it. All the characters ofthe book were realistic. One mystery sowell written that I could not begin solveit.

Book Review: The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada (1981, 2004) 4 Stars ****The Tokyo Zodiac Murders is a classic example of the popular Japanese honkaku subgenre of murder mysteries which focuses on plotting and clues. The author gives all the clues to the reader, analyzes and discusses them openly, and gives the reader time to solve the mystery before the solution is given at the end of the book.Set in Tokyo, Japan, Kiyoshi Mitarai is a freelance photographer who loves solving murder mysteries and engages an unusual, eccentric astrologer/amateur sleuth and friend Kiyoshi to solve the forty-year-old mystery, which has obsessed and eluded police, criminologists, amateur detectives, and ordinary citizens for forty years! Solving this case was a national preoccupation. (Please remember, this is a work of fiction.)In 1936, miserable human being and painter Heikichi Umezawa is found murdered in his studio which is locked and padlocked from the inside. Bars are set securely on the windows. It appears that the roof is secure. Two sets of footprints left in the snow lead away from the studio. But, how could anyone exit leaving the door locking system in place? Umezawa's secret journal, containing damning information, is found at the crime scene and sets the tone and focus of the story. Two other sets of murders follow shortly after. Who could possibly have committed these horrendous acts? Has Umezawa reached out from the grave to fulfill his dream? Is he, in fact, really dead? Forty years later, the quest for the answers has never abated.The mystery engages, although the details often become tedious and very mathematical. If you love math, latitude, longitude, astrological signs and their physical, metal, and color attributions, you will be enthralled. Astrology and the occult play a big part in the murders and the pursuant investigations. The author spends way too much time explaining the solution from different points of view. Still, anyone who loves to play detective will enjoy this book and this genre. Hints: The cover offers a clue which may be easy to overlook. Watch out for red herrings. Don't believe everyone's assumptions.Good luck!If you want more of this genre, go to the Locked Room International website (lockedroominternational.com or mylri.com for more English language versions of locked -room mysteries from all over the world.

All hail Shimada Soji!! This book, the plot and it’s solution are GREAT!! 5 stars all the way! I hope you enjoy it as well.

Esse livro é a primeira obra de Soji Shimada e é claramente inspirado na literatura policial tradicional (como os livros de Agatha Christie). O próprio Shimada-sensei afirma que foi influenciado por autores como S. S. Van Dine. Esse livro traz um mistério extremamente justo com o leitor e é possível solucionar o caso bizarro sem dificuldades.A edição, porém, não me agradou tanto por conta da qualidade do material. Ainda assim é imprescindível em coleções de literatura policial.

I felt like I was being whirled round a hundred times over by this book while reading it.Oh boy what was that, I almost grew MAD by the mind-boggling array of details and intricacies and I'm not even exaggerating (!!). I don't know how authors come up with such brain-bending plots but WOW, I LOVED THIS BOOK. Sheer brilliance on the part of Soji Shimada.The translation is equally good, hats off.The manner of the crime committed in the the Tokyo zodiac murders is something I'd never heard of before. Okay I won't go ahead to spoil the story. I certainly want you to read it if you genuinely love Japanese crime fiction and in general, locked room mysteries.

Dentro del libro, hay un momento en donde el autor detiene completamente la historia para decirte que ya debiste de haber resuelto el caso. Después de que yo pase esa advertencia, no toque el libro por una semana tratando de ver si lo podía resolver por mi cuenta. Eventualmente lo termine sin poder romper el caso.Es un caso con respuestas simples a preguntas muy complicadas. Muy bien escrito y aun mas recomendable.

This is one of a series of 20 or so classic crime 'who dunnit' thrillers from around the world published by Pushkin Vertigo.This story is set in Tokyo in 1979 when an amateur detective and his friend reinvestigate the series of murders from 1936 which included an artist and seven female members of his family, including 2 nieces, 3 step-daughters and 2 daughters. The youngest 6 women are discovered dismembered and buried across Japan at sites with some astrological significance in an incidence known as the 'Tokyo Zodiac Murders'. The artist had penned a bizarre treatise about carrying out such a plan for his own reasons, but he is murdered prior to the women, so he couldn't have done it, or could he?? His murder occurred in strange circumstances in a locked room. Kazume Ishioka asks his friend and amateur sleuth Kiyoshi Mitarai to investigate.The books is written almost as if it were a true event being re-opened rather than a novel, which it is. It starts with the rambling and very detailed astrological treatise and plan of the artist, Heikichi Umezawa, to recreate an ancient Japanese goddess from the body parts of his female family members. Mad stuff, but a compelling insight into the logic of his mind. It then details the murders and the reinvestigation. It is unsettling and gruesome in parts, but compelling nonetheless.The solution is clever, but the plot ultimately a bit contrived. However, it is still worthy of high praise because of its unique style and ingenuity. I definitely will read others in this series, and would recommend this to anyone with a devious mind and a strong stomach.

An original plot. A hard to believe outcome. A good translation.